Tomato Poached Fish With Garlic Oil Lime Food

TOMATO-POACHED FISH WITH CHILE OIL AND HERBS

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet (use one with a lid) over medium-high. Add garlic and shallots and cook, swirling the skillet constantly until they start to toast and turn light golden brown, 2 minutes or so. Add red-pepper flakes and swirl to toast for a few seconds. Remove from heat and transfer all but 1 tablespoon of the chile oil to a small bowl.
• Add tomatoes to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until they burst and start to become saucy and jammy, 5 to 8 minutes. Add fish sauce, if using, and 1 1/2 cups water, swirling to release any of the bits stuck on the bottom of the skillet.
• Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened but still nice and brothy, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Season the fish with salt and pepper and gently lay the pieces in the brothy tomatoes. Cover the skillet and cook until the fish is opaque and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes (slightly longer for a thicker piece of fish, like halibut).
• To serve, transfer fish and brothy tomatoes to a large shallow bowl or divide among four bowls. Drizzle with reserved chile oil, more olive oil and the crispy shallots and garlic. Top with cilantro and mint, and serve with limes for squeezing over the top. Serve with tortillas, toast or rice, if you like.

TOMATILLO-POACHED FISH WITH CILANTRO LIME RICE

Steps:

• Stir together the rice, 3 cups water, 1 tablespoon oil and a pinch of salt in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook until fluffy and tender, about 20 minutes.
• Bring a large straight-sided skillet or saute pan filled with water to a boil over high heat. Add the tomatillos and cook until softened and slightly pale, about 4 minutes. Drain the tomatillos and put in a blender along with the onion, 1 jalapeno, garlic, cilantro stems and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Put the lid on the blender, leaving one corner open. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters, and pulse until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour the tomatillo salsa back into the same skillet or saute pan and set over medium heat.
• Season the fish fillets on all sides with 2 teaspoons salt. Nestle the fish in the tomatillo salsa, cover and cook until the fish is opaque and there is no resistance when a paring knife is inserted, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Reserve 1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves for garnish and chop the remaining cilantro leaves to yield 1/4 cup.
• When the rice is done, use a fork to fluff it, then stir in the lime zest, lime juice and the 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Keep warm.
• Generously coat a small saute pan with oil and heat over medium high until shimmering. Add a pinch of flour to the oil. If it sizzles, the oil is ready for frying. Line a small plate with paper towels.
• Thinly slice the 2 remaining jalapeños crosswise. Put the flour in a small bowl. Working in batches, coat the jalapeño slices in the flour, then fry on each side until the seeds are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes total. Transfer to the prepared plate and season with a pinch of salt.
• To serve, put a quarter of the rice on left side of a wide shallow bowl, spoon a quarter of the tomatillo salsa on the right side and use a spatula to carefully place 1 fish fillet on top. Repeat with the remaining rice, salsa and fish. Garnish with the reserved cilantro leaves and a fried jalapeño slices.

ONE-PAN ROASTED FISH WITH CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the tomatoes, shallots and garlic in a 9-by-13-inch nonreactive baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Pour over the tomatoes and toss to combine. Roast until the tomatoes have collapsed and the shallots are translucent, about 15 minutes.
• While the tomatoes roast, pat the fish dry with paper towels, brush all over with olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper.
• Toss the tomatoes, move them to the sides of the dish and place the fish fillets, evenly spaced, in the center. Roast until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Sprinkle the entire dish with the lemon zest, basil and mint. Serve the fish with the tomatoes, spooning any remaining juices on top.

OLIVE-OIL-POACHED FISH WITH PASTA

Steps:

• Steam the oysters in a little water, 1/4 inch or less, just until they're easy to open. When they're cool enough to handle, open them and cut the meats in half. Meanwhile, cook the squids in the same liquid just until opaque, less than 2 minutes. Take them out with a slotted spoon and reserve the liquid. Turn off the heat.
• Set a big pot of water to boil for the pasta and salt it. In a broad skillet, add the olive oil, garlic and thyme and turn the heat to medium-low. Gently cook all the fish and scallops in the oil, in batches if necessary, flipping and turning as needed. Don't rush and don't worry about browning anything; just cook until each piece is tender, which will be different for each fish, but not more than 10 minutes for any. Do not overcook. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the garlic behind. (Discard the thyme.) Season with salt and pepper and put on a platter with the lemon wedges and chopped parsley. Drizzle with oil.
• Add the tomatoes and cayenne to the oil and cook at a lively pace, stirring occasionally, until saucy, 10 to 12 minutes. Start the pasta in the meantime. When the tomatoes are ready, stir in the reserved cooking liquid, oysters and squid and cook a bit longer, another 3 or 4 minutes. Taste and season as needed.
• When the pasta is almost tender, drain it and toss it with the sauce and the basil; cook another minute or so until the pasta is ready. Serve the pasta in bowls, and pass plates on the side for the fish.